Chapter 8 – Guinea Pig
There's a huge storage room for the stocks two levels below the kitchen area that actually looks more like the inside of a cathedral and makes her feel like it too every time she goes down there through the transporter.
Once she's returned to the kitchen after her meeting with Dr Weir and finished putting the fruit pies in the ovens, she leaves her staff to finish preparing dinner and heads downstairs to assess the stocks. Aiden Ford is waiting for her, a huge grin on his boyish face. He salutes her with two fingers. "Ma'am, Major Sheppard ordered me to come and help you so I'm all yours for the end of the afternoon. What can I do to help?"
He seems so eager to please she can't help smiling at him fondly. It's like when the Athosian children arrived on Atlantis and her heart melted at seeing them so desperate. In a sense she is glad they have not remained on Atlantis. She is fond of them really, actually too fond of them. She doesn't want to let anyone near her heart and Aiden is so endearing that she doesn't know if it's a good thing after all that Major Sheppard sent him to help her. She knows he's trying hard to make her feel she belongs here but she'd much prefer he were indifferent, like Colonel Sumner had been. His disdain or lack of concern, she never really knew which one it was, was much preferable to all the attention she's received these last few days.
She takes a deep breath and looks around. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to rearrange the stocks and make sure nothing is left to rot in the back. We can't afford to squander anything." She switches on her tablet and follows him around as he works with a couple of marines who've been sent down too. They work quickly and very efficiently, she notices, not minding following her orders. She's grateful they focus on the work and don't dally but seeing the stocks from up close is quite unnerving. She knows the place was meant for it from the start and in its heydays, Atlantis must have had many more people to feed if they can trust the logs they've been able to access. Nevertheless, it's an unnerving sight to see such a huge place filled with so little. She doesn't know it but Aiden follows her nervous gaze as she looks around and makes a mental note to report it to Sheppard.
When they're through, she thanks everyone and offers them to follow her. Hard work calls for a hearty reward, her granny used to say. She sits them all at the long island top and offers them a piece of the pies that are currently cooling on the racks in the middle of the table. "These are for tonight," she informs them with a grin. "I was wondering if you would agree to taste them before I send them to the mess hall?"
"We'll be happy to comply again, any time, Ma'am," they thank her as they deposit their plates in the sink and file out of the room, a huge grin on their faces. They're no more than kids. She could almost be their mom and her heart goes out to them. She can't hug them and tell them everything will be OK, because she knows it won't, but she can at least feed them well and offer comfort food any time the stocks allow for it. She smiles at them and nods. Ford lags behind. "My grandmother makes pies like these, Ma'am. I look forward to what you can do with the rest of what we brought back."
She pats his shoulder and chuckles. "Yes, Lieutenant, you can be my guinea pig from now on," she promises as he leaves her kitchen.
John finds her on the mess hall's balcony that night. She's enjoying the cool breeze that is blowing over the city and looking in the distance as the stars light one by one in the deep blue sky.
"Hey," he greets her, handing her a cup of the steaming Athosian tea Teyla has prepared.
"Hey, yourself," she says, her hands wrapping around the cup, enjoying the warmth that instantly spreads through her skin. "Thanks."
He nods and remains silent for a few minutes, sipping at his own coffee. "Ford told me you looked worried this afternoon," he mentions in passing, waiting for her reaction or lack of it, thereof. He sighs. "Louise..."
She turns to him then goes to sit on the bench facing the ocean and he follows her. "I... I wish I had hidden it better. This is my responsibility," she says despondently.
"Hey, it's not. It's everyone's! I know it's not directly mine but if there are missions that are more pressing than others, then yes it's mine too! Do you fear we've used too much already and we need to focus on finding more allies to trade for food?" he asks.
"You're very blunt, for an American," she remarks, making him chuckle.
"I thought we, Americans, were considered as being the kings of bluntness!" he jokes.
"No, you're not. You're the kings of politically correct conversations and this, Major, is not one of those!" she informs him, chuckling too, in spite of the importance of the matter.
"Well then, I might have – what? - a tinge of Frenchness in me?" he banters, bumping his shoulder against hers, making her laugh.
She falls silent then masters the courage to speak again. "Yes, I'm worried, Major. I told Dr Weir about it." He nods, making her know she has told him in return. "I should be celebrating this new alliance but I know it's not enough – not by far! So if I have any say in the matter, yes, I think it's a very pressing matter that we find other trading partners. I know Dr McKay won't agree with me," she adds hurriedly. "I can understand you need to lay your hands on ZPMs and anything that might help us protect our city but right now, if I don't get my hands on more food ressources, we have a big problem. I told Dr Weir about it too and I gather, she told you, yes?"
He nods and then falls silent too, musing. "You said the Elisians offered you herbs and plants you intend to grow here in the city..." She nods, her ears wide open, he sees. "Couldn't we grow things right here? Maybe raise, I don't know, chickens or something?" He rolls his eyes then says: "Forget about it. This is ridiculous!"
She pats his shoulder. "No, it's not. Actually, it's not at all. It wouldn't solve everything but if you can find me room for that, I might spare a few of my own staff to raise chickens and maybe grow hygroponic plants – tomatoes and the like. It won't be as good as fresh stuff grown in the sun but still..." She sighs. "I wish I could work with a botanist," she muses.
He grins at her wickedly. "Actually, sweetheart," he says, waggling his eyebrows, as he taps his communicator. "Rodney, this is Sheppard, respond." She looks at him nonplussed and he lifts a finger to have her wait. "Yes, McKay, sorry to interrupt whatever incredible important experiment you're working on," he jokes wikedly. "Could you join me and the chef on the mess hall's balcony, please? And while you're at it, bring your red-haired girlfriend," he adds before hurriedly ending the conversation. "He was going to tell me she's not his girlfriend, blah, blah, blah," he explains to Louise and winks. "We know that it will take a little longer for McKay to get there but he will in the end," he adds with a lopsided grin. "Even if we have to shove and push him there," he adds on second thought, making her laugh.
"Louise, this is Katie, the botanist of our expedition. Katie, meet our chef extraordinaire," John says. They shake hands and John winks at Rodney. "Those two will be attached at the hip before you can say cookie," he informs him.
They go and sit in the mess hall that is deserted at this late hour. Louise turns to Katie. "How come we never met? I mean, you should have been the one on this expedition, not me," she elaborates, turning to John.
"Actually, we did want her to come too but she declined," Rodney explains with a pout and tilts his head at Katie.
Katie shrugs in embarrassment. "I'm not very keen on going through the gate. I gave a few ideas to Dr Beckett and Rodney and thought it'd be enough. I'm sorry," she apologizes.
"No need to apologize. I can understand, you know. The first time was a nightmare," Louise answers with a pout. "I hated it."
"And now?" John asks, non-commitically.
"I have to say, I kind of liked it, in hindsight. It's... exhilarating," she admits.
"Well, then, you can be Katie's eyes. Listen, Dr Brown," he adds, turning to her, "I'll talk to Dr Weir about it. If you don't feel like doing field trips right now, we totally understand. Louise seems good at it – as long as she doesn't stray", he adds wickedly, making her blush furiously. "I'll leave you to it to work on future projects together though. Louise and I have been brainstorming tonight," he elaborates. "I think you two can come up with some viable solutions right here on Atlantis. If you do, report to Dr Weir about it and she'll give you enough manpower to make them successful. Well, if you don't mind, I'll head for my quarters now. I have a big day ahead of me," he says, standing. He smiles at both women. "Ms Léger, when you have a minute, there's a project of my own I'd like to tell you about," he adds before leaving.
TBC